Visitors are given a guided tour of the Synagogue on Earlham Road. Image courtesy of Norwich HEART.

Norwich spectacularly smashed all records during its Heritage Open Days held at the start of September 2005.

The city hosted a staggering 130 free open days between September 8-11 – ten times more events than previous years – and attracted around 100,000 visitors – clocking up the largest number of visits in any city outside London.

Sophie Cabot, Norwich Heritage Open Days manager, said: “In the past Norwich used to average a dozen events and that would get a few thousand visitors. That’s great but it meant we didn’t have much to compare with what might happen when we tried 130 odd events. In the end we were blown away.”

Norwich Cathedral remains a firm favourite for visitors. Image courtesy of Norwich City Council.

She added: “Our drop-in events averaged about a thousand visitors each and almost all our pre-booked tours were full before the beginning of September.”

All the events were co-ordinated by Norwich HEART (Historic Economic and Regeneration Trust), the organisation in charge of promoting and managing the city's heritage sites.

Venues such as the 900-year-old cathedral remained firm favourites this year but some more unusual events also joined the calendar including backstage tours of the Theatre Royal and a medieval open day at a 12th century hospital building.

Children take part in the medieval re-enactments. Image courtesy of Norwich HEART.

Michael Loveday, chief executive of HEART, said: “We were delighted but overwhelmed by the sheer scale of public response to Heritage Open Days. Not only the estimated 100,000 visits to Heritage Open Days events over the four days, but the enormous enthusiasm of all who participated."

“This was made possible by a remarkable collection of volunteers and enthusiasts and by the generosity of sponsors,” he added.

HEART is now seeking sponsors for next year's event and to safeguard the city's Heritage Open Days for years to come.